Emmaus Borough Council met Oct. 7 and moved quickly through routine matters, without a community minute or special presentations.

During personal appeals, Eric Loch, president of the Emmaus Rotary Club, requested approval for a future event they would like to hold at Emmaus Community Park. There will be multiple food vendors, beer and wine vendors, live music, plus more. The goal of the event is to raise money for food for the children in need in East Penn School District. Loch noted they have packed 18,000 meals for children in need.

The planned date of the event is May 31, 2025. This is expected to be an annual event that may turn into a community day for the borough. This was approved by council contingent upon further information and details being provided later on.

Council members next approved the minutes from the previous meeting Sept. 16 without any changes.

Decisions on bids saw the approval of a bid for refuse and recycling collection disposal and marketing awarded to Whitetail Disposal, ensuring waste disposal services in the borough will continue to run efficiently.

The estimated household cost of these services, the projected refuse rate for 2025, will rise to an estimated $490 to $495 per household for the next four years and should remain steady. In comparison, that rise in cost is relatively low compared to various other municipalities.

In the only item in communications, council received a volunteer application from Jonas Arguello-Delgado to join the arts commission. He will be sent to the commission for an interview.

No significant new items were presented during the reports from the borough engineer or solicitor. However, Mayor Lee Ann Gilbert did announce Proclamation 2024-606, which sets trick-or-treat night in Emmaus for 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.

Several committee reports followed.

In the public works report, Councilman Roy Anders announced leaf curbside pickup will begin Oct. 21 through Dec. 6.

The parks and recreation committee requested and received approval for an endowment fund waiver to help with funding the design, construction and equipping of an athletic training facility at the South Fourth Street fields for the Emmaus Youth Association. This building will be owned by the borough.

The general administration committee saw approvals for two important resolutions. Resolution 2024-23 allows the borough to apply for PennVEST funds for a PFAS treatment project aimed at improving local water quality, while Resolution 2024-24 is a formal declaration of the borough’s intent to reimburse water funds used for public water system improvements once the PennVEST funds are received. Both resolutions passed unanimously.

The budget and finance committee approved funding for engineering work on pool repairs, with the hope the necessary upgrades will be completed by the summer of 2025. They also approved the purchase of L3Harris radios at a cost of just over $83,000 for the emergency services departments due to Lehigh County radio updates slated to happen in 2025. Additionally, council passed Resolution 2024-25, which approved the borough’s bill list and reviewed significant revenue and expenses for September.

No comments were received during the second round of personal appeals.

Borough Manager Shane Pepe’s report included the approval of a direct sale of a 2022 Clayton mobile home as it was put out to bid three times already without receiving a bid.

There were no items under president’s business, which was followed by Council President Chad Balliet calling for adjournment.

The next council meeting is scheduled Oct. 21, with various committee meetings set for the coming weeks.